DECORATING | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA
From a palatial bibliotheque to a color-drenched reading bay and a secret library in the heart of Casablanca, rooms shaped by books reveal the character of a space, and its owner. Formal, playful, sparse, or indulgent, libraries bring depth and personality. Read on for library rooms from the World of Cabana and beyond.
BY EMMA BECQUE | ROOMS & GARDENS | JANUARY 2026
The Caliph's library in Casablanca © Sam Parkes
"Libraries are a key element to every interior design project, providing a timeless palette for designers to work with, accessorize and above all provide the perfect setting for rare and favourite tomes. I love books and all the paraphernalia of a library; a kindle can work 'in extremis' but I could never imagine a library full of kindles!"
So writes Christoph Radl, co-founder and Creative Director of Cabana. And naturally, the whole Cabana team agrees; rooms shaped by books reveal the intimate character of a space, and its owner. Read on for some of our editors' favorite library rooms, from the World of Cabana and the pages of the magazine.
A Library with Secrets in Casablanca
The Caliph's library in Casablanca © Sam Parkes
"At the end of a long room shaped like an elongated shadow, behind a wall of books that appears to be a dead end, a secret door swivels open from within the bookcase to reveal the oldest part of the house," writes photographer Sam Parkes.
Wedged between modern high rises, on the western fringes of the city, Dar Khalifa sits like a verdant oasis in a desert of functional modernity. But it wasn’t always like that... Read more about this exceptional house in Casablanca.
A Book-Lined Hallway in Paris
A library forms part of an entryway © Mark Luscombe-Whyte.
Inside a Renzo Mongiardino-designed apartment in the City of Light, first published in Cabana Magazine Issue 17. The space is "utterly untouched since it was decorated, the apartment is entered through a book-lined hall enveloped in bois de placage."
A Home Library in Tangier
Cabana Magazine N14 © Miguel Flores-Vianna.
A charming home library in the Tangier home of British antique dealer, Gordon Watson. Photographed by Miguel Flores-Vianna for Cabana Issue 14.
A Hudson Valley library © Astrid Templier
El Foolk: Christopher's home in Tangier © Ngoc Minh Ngo, Cabana N6
An office in Belgium © Isabel Bronts
Cabana Magazine N4 © Giada Ripa
Casa Cabana © Filippo Pincolini
A Reading Cabinet in Antwerp
Inside the Spanish artists home bookshelves take centre stage © Isabel Bronts.
An office inside a Spanish artist's 1913 Villa in Antwerp exhibits a floor-to-ceiling Bibliothèque cabinetry wrapping the room, and aptly painted in a deep 'library green'.
A Very British Library Painted in Olive
A library room by Rebecca Hughes inside a British country home © Astrid Templier.
British interior designer Rebecca Hughes has transformed a modest family home on England's south coast into an expanded, joyful space layered with rich colors, playful patterns and antique finds. The library, formerly the living room, has been enveloped in Farrow & Ball’s Bancha, with brass mesh fronted cabinets and a bespoke fireplace.
An 18th-century Library in Varese, Italy
Cabana Magazine N3 © Micol Sabbadani.
An outstanding, historic library at Villa Panza, an 18th century mansion atop the Biumo Hill overlooking the Italian city of Varese. Photographed by Micol Sabbadani for Cabana Magazine Issue 3.
A Scarlet Reading Room in the Hudson Valley
The bold scarlet library inside a historic Hudson Valley home transformed by Heidi Caillier © Haris Kenjar. Styled by Mieke ten Have.
This striking library inside a historic Hudson Valley home transformed by Heidi Caillier is drenched in scarlet gloss – eye catching, and a clever trick to counteract low ceilings.
The Caliph's House in Casablanca © Sam Parkes
An alcove of books in Malta © Miguel Flores-Vianna.
Cabana Magazine N5 © Fiona Corsini
Cupyers Library, Rijksmuseum © Isabel Bronts
Cabana Magazine N1 © Guido Taroni
Teylers Museum © Isabel Bronts
A Working Library in Paris
Cabana Magazine N13 © Mark Luscombe-Whyte.
An atmospheric full-height working library in a lithographic printing studio in Paris, photographed by Mark Luscombe-Whyte for Cabana Magazine Issue 13.
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